Hi, I'm a UGA professor and I made a video game for UGA students!
You can find the game here: https://uga-ling2150.github.io/robot-meet-humans/
Why am I doing this? Well, I'm offering a brand new course next year, LING 2150 Demystifying Conversational AI: Language, Mind and Society, which is especially aimed at freshmen and sophomores. Most folks are probably not aware of the course and the issues that surround it, so I wanted to explain what the course is all about, but convey that in a fun way!
The course offers humanistic and social-scientific perspectives on our interactions with conversational AI. If you've ever wondered why ChatGPT doesn't sound human (despite speaking perfect English), or had an frustrating experience with customer service chatbots, we'll explore these topics and much, much more. We'll look at hidden rules that underlie natural convos between humans, how they vary across cultures and contexts, and why it's hard for bots to follow these rules. The game will briefly introduce a couple of these rules. In the course itself, we'll look at those rules in depth, analyse our interactions with chatbots (including virtual NPCs in VR games 🥽🎮!), and even get our hands dirty creating a simple chatbot ourselves!
If you're a freshman intending to major in any field or anyone looking for electives, and are interested in looking at conversational AI from a human perspective, this course is for you! It requires no previous experience in linguistics, computer science or any other field. The skills and knowledge you acquire can be especially useful for a career in user experience (UX), but even if you're not, learning about this pervasive tech from a fresh angle can help you stand out in your career and life.
You can find more general information about the course here:
So if this description sounds like it fits you, please check out the game and let me know what you think! 😉
-Ryan